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Go on, close your eyes and get a mental picture of them right now. (Go on, do it!) Now, as you pictured them, where were they in relation to you? Were they on the same level as you? Or above you so that you were looking up at them? Or below you so that you were looking down?

Presenters who tend to be nervous typically imagine the audience above them. Believe it or not, when I ask these same people to re-imagine this scenario and change the orientation of the audience in their mind’s eye, it changes the way they feel. The ideal placement of your audience in a mental picture is below you. Why? This tends to give your brain the feeling that you’re helping them and that you have something to share with them. Conversely, when you see your audience above you, it’s as if you’re placing them on a pedestal, where they’re better than you. This is a simple technique for dramatically changing how you feel. Try it!